Life is hard but beautiful never the less!
by Cynical about Cynicism
Summary: A compilation of one-shots. Inspiring Harry Potter stories which is applicable in real life.


"A Carrot, An Egg or A Coffee Bean"

**"A Carrot, An Egg or A Coffee Bean"**

Lily Evans was going through a very difficult phase in her life. She had just attended her parent's funeral, where her sister had treated her like a can of worms. Not to mention, the pressures of being the only muggleborn perfect at Hogwarts, at a time when blood-purity issue was splitting the Wizarding World apart. A strong-willed girl, Lily's normally sparkling eyes were devoid of emotions. Lily stared ahead blankly as she sat in Dumbledore's office.

"Care for some Lemon Drops, Ms. Evans?" Dumbledore asked softly.

Receiving no reply, the Headmaster asked Lily, as to what was it that she wanted to discuss with him.

"I want to resign from my post, as a perfect," said Lily quietly.

Looking at Dumbledore's questioning but kind glance, Lily complained to the Headmaster about how her life had turned upside down and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of all the fighting and struggling. It seemed as though in solving one problem, two more would arise.

Dumbledore looked at her speculatively, before getting up and beckoning Lily to follow him. He took her to the Hogwarts' kitchen and asked the house elves to bring three pots of water and a carrot, an egg and coffee beans for him. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire, he conjured with a flick of his wand. Soon the pots came to a boil.

In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans.

He let them sit and boil without saying a word. Lily waited impatiently, all the while wondering what the Headmaster was doing. In about twenty minutes, he turned off the flame with another flick.

He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl.  
Then he ladled the coffee out and poured it in a cup.

Turning to her he asked. "What do you see, Ms. Evans?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. Lily humbly asked, sensing some deep underlying meaning behind Headmaster's action. "What does it mean Professor?"

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, they softened and became weak.  
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, the insides became hardened.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you, Ms. Evans" he asked Lily, his eyes twinkling.

"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?"

"Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Lily looked at the Headmaster thoughtfully before looking at the carrot, egg and coffee in front of her.

Was she a carrot that seemed hard, but with pain and adversity she wilted and became soft and lost her strength?

Was she an egg, who starts off with a changeable heart? Was she a fluid spirit, but after difficult times, had she become hardened and stiff. Her outer-shell may look the same, but was she tough with a stiff spirit and heart?

Or was she like the coffee bean?

The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain. When the water reaches its' peak temperature, it just tastes better.

If she was like the bean, when things are at their worst, she would get better and make things better around herself.

Was she a carrot,  
an egg,  
or a coffee bean?

"The important thing, Ms. Evans is not what you are but what you want to be!"

Any guesses, as to what Lily became in the future and remained till her death and after?

Was she a carrot,  
an egg,  
or a coffee bean?

Please read and review. I hope you like the concept!


End file.
